Following the conclusion of Day 3’s play, Bangladesh team manager Nafees Iqbal acknowledged their awareness of an incident involving New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips allegedly using saliva on the ball during the ongoing first Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet. The accusation arose during the 34th over when Phillips applied saliva to the ball after delivering the first ball to Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. Nafees Iqbal confirmed their awareness of the incident, having seen the footage, and reported it to the fourth umpire.
Despite the awareness of on-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Paul Reiffel, no immediate action was taken during the game. According to Law 41.3, updated and implemented on October 1, 2022, the use of saliva on the ball is prohibited, a measure introduced when cricket resumed post-Covid-19. The law specifies that players should use sweat for polishing the ball, as it has been found to have a similar impact on swing without raising concerns about altering saliva through sugary sweets. The amended laws treat the use of saliva on the ball similarly to any other unfair methods of altering its condition.
On Day 3 of the Test, Bangladesh skipper Shanto’s unbeaten century positioned the hosts in a commanding position. At Lunch, Bangladesh stood at 308/7 in their second innings, holding a 301-run lead over New Zealand. In response to Bangladesh’s first-innings total of 310, New Zealand secured a slender seven-run lead after being bowled out for 317.
